Building Bridges
by MissF.A.T
Summary: Sarah Vaughn went to the same college as Spencer Reid. Now that one of her patients is involved in a murder, a romance is kindled between the two. However, the killer threatens Sarah's life, and Reid must work quickly to save her.
1. Chapter 1

Sarah Vaughn leaned against the wall. Her arms were crossed protectively over her chest and she chewed on her bottom lip. She stared down at the floor, her dark, curly brown hair shielding her face.

"I'm sorry about the wait. This all happened at such an inconvenient time." Sarah looked up and saw a blond woman approaching her.

"Oh, no, it's quite all right. I understand," she replied.

"You'll have to excuse me - have several phone calls I need to make. However, one of our agents will be out to speak with you momentarily," said the woman. Sarah nodded and returned her gaze to the floor. It was several moments before another voice spoke.

"Oh, hello. You must be Dr. -"

"Sarah Vaughn, yes, but there's no need to be so formal." She looked up. "Oh! I know you. You're Spencer Reid."

"It's doctor, now," he said with a small smile. "Sarah Vaughn... You went to Caltech, correct?"

"Yeah. It's been a long time since I've seen you. You tutored me a lot – and saved my butt several times when it came to exams." Sarah gave a small laugh.

"Yes, I remember. Um, if you'll come with me..." Sarah followed Spencer down a hallway and to an interrogation room. Sarah seated herself, putting her head in her hands. Spencer took a seat across from her. "So, you're here because of the recent murder, correct?" Sarah nodded. "I don't understand, how do you already know of the murder?"

"I was at my cousin's house. She's go a scanner – I knew what it was the moment I heard it." She paused. "My doctorates – you know it was for psychiatry, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, the killer... he's one of my patients," said Sarah, looking up finally. Her green eyes were pained.

"How do you know this?" asked Spencer, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Honestly, I'm not suppose to tell you this. But, I trust you, Spencer. His name was Richard Parish. He came to me about six months ago. It was court-ordered. After a long while, he started opening up. He started telling me that he... had killed people. But I couldn't tell anyone because it was in confidence. It was something he had already done."

"I see. Well, that isn't very helpful to the case. That evidence would be inadmissible in court."

"I know. But he started talking about killing again. This was the first time I had dealt with something like this. I would talk to him about it, talk him through it, and he would promise to do nothing. He said that getting it all out was enough. I was so stupid to believe him." Suddenly, tears spilled down Sarah's face.

"No, Sarah. It was a mistake. You said it yourself – it was your first time dealing with someone like this." After a hesitation, he reached across the table and patted her on the shoulder. "You're being immensely helpful just by coming forward. Most people involved -"

"I know, Spencer. I took the classes," Sarah said, giving him a watery smile. She wiped her eyes and Spencer put his hand back on the table. "He came to me two days ago, and that was our last session. He proclaimed that he was in love with me. He ranted on about how perfect we would be together and that sort of thing. I tried telling him that he didn't really love me, that it was just transference. But he kept insisting that he was serious. I tried telling him nicely that I didn't feel the same way, but that enraged him.

"He attacked me. I managed to fight with him until my colleagues heard the struggle and came in to help. They pulled him off of me, and he left quickly but calmly. I reported the incident to his parole officer, but he disappeared. No one has seen him since he attacked me."

"I see. However, I'm still not quite sure how you know that is the unsub," said Spencer.

"He called me yesterday. He said that he still loved me, and that he was going to give me one more chance. I tried to convince him to turn himself into his parole officer, but he didn't listen. He kept interrupting me, asking if I loved him. Finally I broke down and told him, again, that I didn't. He said that it was too bad, and that he was going to start murdering people to make me regret it. Then he hung up."

"We can certainly look into him as a suspect. If you could give us as much information on him that you know, like his appearance, full name, his -" His sentence was cut short by the ringing of a phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. One second." Sarah reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. "It's a text, from Richard." Sarah glanced at Spencer before opening the text. Her eyes widened and her face grew pale. "Oh – oh god."

"Sarah? What is it?" asked Spencer. Sarah gagged and shoved the phone across the table to Reid. He looked at it stoically. It was a picture of a mutilated corpse. The message along with the text read, 'Do you see what you've done? Do you see what my love for you has caused? This is only the beginning, Sarah.'


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah padded down the carpeted stairs, barefoot. A black and white tomcat trailed behind her. She groaned as she stretched. The cat followed her into the kitchen and began mewling at her.

Sarah walked over to the counter and started the coffee maker. She then opened a can of cat food for the cat and put it in a bowl. She put the bowl on the floor and the cat ran over to it and began eating.

"There ya go, Thomas," Sarah said with a smile. She stroked the cat. She looked up and saw her cousin descending the stairs. "Hey, Leah."

"What're you doing up so early?" asked Sarah's cousin.

"I didn't sleep too well last night."

"You can't let that freak get to you, Sarah," said Leah. Sarah crossed her arms over her chest.

"Leah, someone is _dead _because of me!" Sarah cried.

"Sarah, that's ridiculous. It's _not_ your fault. That guy is a fucking psycho." Sarah shook her head.

"I'm gonna go check the mail." Sarah walked past her cousin and to the front door. She opened it and nearly stepped on a small box lying on the doorstep. It was a grubby little cardboard box, with an envelope underneath it. Tied around the box and the letter was a bright blue ribbon. Confused, Sarah bent down and picked up the box. She brought it into the house, setting it down on the counter.

"What's that?" asked Leah.

"I... I don't know. It was on the doorstep," replied Sarah. Leah's eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think you should open that," said Leah.

"Don't be silly, Leah." Sarah untied the ribbon and opened the box; inside was a necklace with a rose-shaped pendant. Sarah frowned and opened the envelope. She unfolded the letter and her frown deepened.

_My Dear Sarah,_

_It's me, your true love._

_I hope you enjoy the present. It will look much prettier on you than it did on that slut._

_Don't worry, I've already got another girl in mind so that I may continue to prove my love to you._

_Love,_

_Richard_

Sarah's eyes widened in horror. She threw the letter away from her and backed away from the counter.

"Sarah, what is it?" asked Leah. Sarah shook her head and ran upstairs. "Sarah!" called Leah from the bottom of the steps. Sarah ran to her bedroom and seized her cell phone. She dialed the number Spencer had given her the night before and sat down on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hello?" came Spencer's voice from the phone.

"Spencer, it's awful!" said Sarah. "Richard – he was here last night! He left this girl's necklace on the doorstep and he said he was going to kill more girls! You guys have to stop him, please I don't -"

"Sarah, calm down," Spencer said as sternly as he could. Sarah took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, Spencer."

"It's quite all right. Now, you said that you're staying with your cousin, correct?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well, someone will be over there to speak with you soon."

"Will you please come with them, Spencer?" asked Sarah. There was a pause.

"Um, yeah, I suppose I could do that."

"Thank you." The two hung up. Sarah walked back downstairs and sat on the couch.

"You okay, Sarah?" asked Leah, sitting down on the couch next to Sarah.

"I'm scared, Leah."

"Don't be. He won't mess with you while-"

"I'm not scared for me. I'm scared for those girls," explained Sarah. Leah reached over and put her hand on Sarah's knee.

"Sarah, stop beating yourself up over this. You didn't mean for this to happen, and they'll catch him, I know they will," said Leah. Sarah gave her a pained look, then stared out of the window. Leah sighed and stood. She stared at Sarah for a moment longer, then left the room to get ready for work. When Sarah finally saw a black SUV pull in the driveway, she leaped to her feet. She met Spencer and another man at the door. The other man was rather tall and dark-skinned.

"Hello, you're Ms. Vaughn, correct?" asked the man.

"Yeah."

"I'm Agent Morgan, and this is Agent Spencer. I understand that you received something as a gift from the unsub?" said the man.

"Unsub? You mean Richard?" asked Sarah.

"Yes, the killer," explained Morgan.

"Oh, yes, um, come in please." The two men followed her into the kitchen. She noticed that as they walked, both men kept throwing glances at her. Suddenly, she gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so inappropriately dressed! Excuse me." Both Spencer and Morgan laughed as Sarah rushed upstairs. She was still dressed in the clothes she had slept in – a pair of short shorts and a rather revealing tank top. She quickly changed her clothes and descended the stairs once more.

"Would you mind moving your car? I need to get to work," Leah was saying to the men. Morgan looked over at Spencer, who was examining the necklace.

"I don't think we'll need to question her for the time being," said Spencer. Morgan nodded and followed Leah out of the house. Spencer looked over at Sarah and their eyes met. Sarah held his gaze for a second, then turned away. She went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Tears began to slide from her eyes once more.

"Sarah?" came Spencer's voice tentatively. Sarah looked up to find him in the doorway.

"I'm sorry," said Sarah. Spencer walked over to the couch and sat down next to her.

"There's no reason to apologize. Your emotions are quite understandable given the present situation," replied Spencer.

"Promise me you'll catch him," begged Sarah.

"I'm not going to promise you something that I cannot definitely follow through on. Statistically speaking, there is always a chance that the unsub will get away. However, I am quite confident that we will bring him to justice." Sarah stared down at the ground, tears still streaming down her face.

"I should just give myself to him," Sarah said quietly.

"Don't be so absurd, Sarah. If he gets what he wants, he'll just kill you in the end. He'll start killing once more after your death. Whether or not he has you, he's going to continue killing. You giving yourself over will only add to the body count," said Spencer sharply. Suddenly, Sarah threw her arms around Spencer, hugging him tightly. Spencer was taken aback at first, but lightly hugged Sarah back. Finally, Sarah pulled away, wiping away her tears.

"I miss having you as a friend, Spencer. I regret ever letting us lose touch. I'll call you sometime and we can hang out, okay?" said Sarah, smiling slightly. Spencer smiled back at her.

"I, um, I think that would be very enjoyable." Sarah's smile widened.

"You're so adorable and awkward." Before Spencer could respond, Sarah leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She stood, giggling at Spencer's bewildered expression, and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Gary Church was a very average-looking man, on the whole. He was rather short, but that was his only real identifying feature. He had brown hair and hazel eyes, and a rather plain face. Gary had a knack of fading into the background, which was one of the reasons Richard Parish had decided to befriend him.

Gary had slipped into a bookstore and now prowled the shelves, pretending to be a patron of the store. In reality, he had been following a couple the entire day. He could see them sitting in the corner in a pair of armchairs. The girl, Sarah Vaughn, held some sort of coffee drink in her hand. The guy, Spencer Reid, was examining one of the books he had purchased. As Gary watched, Sarah scooped a little whipped cream from the coffee and dabbed it on Spencer's nose. Gary quickly snapped a picture with his cell phone.

Spencer looked at her, confused, and Sarah laughed. He said something to her as he wiped off the cream, to which she gave him an innocent look. He shook his head and went back to his book. The two sat, talking, for several minutes. Eventually, they stood, gathering their things. Sarah slid her hand into Spencer's and Gary took a picture of this as well. Spencer, although he looked taken aback, also looked rather pleased. Gary watched them leave, then hung out in the store for a several more minutes.

Finally, he left the store. He boarded a bus and rode it until he reached the parking garage where he had left his car. The car was as nondescript as its owner: a white, four-door sedan. He drove twenty minutes outside of the city, to a run-down house on the outskirts of the desert. Inside was a rather tall man, with shaggy blond hair. He looked up as Gary entered the house, his dark eyes piercing.

"Hey, Richard, how was your day?" asked Gary good-naturedly. The blond man rolled his eyes.

"Cut the shit, Gary. What happened?" demanded Richard. Gary sighed.

"Come on, Richie, can't we just talk for once?"

"Don't fucking call me that," snapped Richard, standing.

"All right, Richard, just calm down. You won't like what I have to tell you, anyway," said Gary.

"Why? What happened – what did you see, Gary?" demanded Richard. Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Well, she was with that guy all day again, all I know is his name is Spencer. But they're pretty close. I think they're dating."

"No, you must have just taken it the wrong way." Gary rolled his eyes and handed the phone to Richard.

"No, I really didn't. Look at the pictures." Richard's grip tightened on the phone as he looked through the pictures. His hands began to shake. "Come on, Richie. It's been a month – you _know_ she doesn't love you. You and I -" There was something of an echo as Richard backhanded Gary across the face.

"I swear, you better shut the fuck up. Get the fuck out of my sight or I will _kill_ you," snarled Richard. Gary hesitated for a moment, but the pure hatred on Richard's face convinced him to leave. He quickly slipped away, down the hall and into his room, locking the door behind him. Richard punched the wall, breaking through and leaving a gaping hole. Breathing heavily, he pulled his slightly bloody hand out of the new hole and stormed into the kitchen. He grabbed his knife, duct tape, and some rope. "You're gonna fucking regret this, Sarah. I _promise_ that," he muttered to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

"How much longer?" asked Spencer, shifting in his seat.

"Oh, we're almost there. Calm down, you're like a child asking 'are we there yet?'" teased Sarah.

"Well, you didn't tell me it was a two hour drive," he mumbled.

"I did too! I told you when I first asked you to come. I remember because you started going on about books that you had on CD."

"I don't remember this. Are you sure?" Sarah laughed.

"What, do you think I'm making this up?" she asked. Spencer grinned and shrugged.

"Hey, it's possible."

"Whatever. We're here, anyway." Sarah pulled the car into a long, gravel driveway. It lead to the top of a hill, where four other cars were parked near a large farmhouse. Sarah parked the car next to a large, black pick-up truck.

"It appears as though it's going to rain," commented Spencer as the each grabbed their respective bag from the car. Sarah sighed.

"I miss having a white Christmas," said Sarah as they walked to the house.

"Didn't you live in California all of your life?" asked Spencer, following closely behind her.

"Yeah, but we use to go to my grandma's for Christmas, and she lived in Kentucky," explained Sarah. They climbed the stairs to the porch and the front door flew open before they reached it. A short, heavyset woman burst onto the porch.

"Sarah, baby girl, how are you?" cried Sarah's mother. She came out onto the porch and threw her arms around Sarah in a hug. Spencer looked both startled and amused, and tried not to grin.

"I'm good, Mom. How are you?" asked Sarah as she pulled away from her mother's embrace.

"Oh, fine. But who is this?" demanded Sarah's mother, turning to look at Spencer. He gave a nervous smile.

"I'm, um, Dr. Spencer Reid," he said.

"Oh, so you're a doctor, too, huh?" said Sarah's mother. "So, is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Yes, Mom. I told you on the phone I was bringing him. Can we come in now?" asked Sarah.

"Oh, yes, of course, dear. Sorry about that." Sarah's mother stepped back into the house and Sarah and Spencer followed her inside.

"You keep a very nice house, ," said Spencer politely, surveying the room.

"Thank you. And call me Kathy," replied Sarah's mother. A man stood up from the large recliner. He was tall, with thinning hair and leathery skin. He walked over to Sarah and gave her a hug.

"Hi Daddy," said Sarah, smiling. Sarah's father gave her a kiss on the forehead and then straightened up. He cast a disapproving look at Spencer.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"This is my boyfriend, Daddy. His name is Spencer Reid."

"Hello, sir," said Spencer. Sarah's father shook hands with Spencer, giving him a hard stare.

"Kind of runty, isn't he?" muttered Sarah's father as he turned away from the couple. Spencer looked slightly bewildered.

"_Dad!_" protested Sarah.

"What?"

"Mitch, be nice," called Kathy from the kitchen. Sarah's father grumbled under his breath as he took his seat in the recliner.

"Come on, Spencer, let's put our things in the other room," Sarah said. Spencer followed her down the hall and to a room at the end. "This is my old room," she said as she opened the door. She put her bag on the floor and flopped onto the bed.

"It's quite nice." Spencer paused. "Where am I suppose to sleep?"

"In here, of course," replied Sarah.

"In here – with you?" Sarah laughed.

"Of course, Spencer. We've been dating for a while now... I mean, nothing's going to happen," Sarah said, grinning.

"It's just, rather unexpected..." said Spencer, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"I'll sleep out on the couch, babe, if it bothers you," said Sarah.

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry, Sarah."

"No, it's okay." Sarah smiled, then leaned over and kissed him. She paused, then loosened the tie he was wearing. "Why are you wearing a tie? We're here for Christmas with my parents, it's not a job interview."

"I just wanted to look well put-together." Sarah finished undoing his tie and threw it behind her.

"You'd do better trying to impress them wearing a pair of cowboy boots and a matching hat." Spencer laughed. "Look, why don't you change into that dorky little Christmas sweater I made you pack. You know, the red one?"

"If it's so dorky, then why do you want me to wear it?" asked Spencer.

"Because you're the only one who can pull it off," Sarah replied, grinning.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not," he said. Sarah stood up.

"Well, figure it out while you change," she said, laughing. She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She walked out to the living room and settled down onto the couch. Her aunt, sister, cousin, and sister's husband were crowded in the living room with her and her father.

Spencer reemerged wearing the sweater Sarah had suggested. She grinned and snuggled close to him after he sat down next to her. She kissed him and then laid her head on his shoulder.

"You look adorable," she said.

"What is it you do, Spencer?" asked Kathy from the kitchen.

"I'm an FBI agent – specifically, I work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We create psychological profiles of killers to help bring them to justice," explained Spencer.

"FBI agent?" said Sarah's aunt. "I thought you weren't suppose to tell people you're an agent?"

"No, it's perfectly okay. We don't require such secrecy in our department."

"What are you working on now, then?" asked Sarah's sister.

"Well, there are a couple of cases I'm currently involved in, but I'm not permitted to share any details," replied Spencer.

"Then how do we know you're not making it up?" asked Mitch, suddenly.

"I can go get my identification, if you'd like," offered Spencer calmly.

"Dad, stop it," said Sarah angrily. Mitch glanced at his daughter but said nothing.

The rest of the day went by rather smoothly. Of course, Sarah's father slipped in a few more jabs at Spencer, but Spencer took it in stride. It was around midnight when Mitch walked outside to get more wood for the wood stove. Sarah, her mother, and Spencer were the only ones still up. Spencer yawned rather noticeably.

"You can go on to bed if you want, babe," said Sarah.

"I'm okay."

"No, really, Spence. You were up really late last night, you should go on," insisted Sarah. Spencer laughed.

"All right, you win." They kissed, then Spencer stood and left the room.

"He seems like a really nice guy," commented Kathy.

"He's amazing," Sarah said, beaming.

"He treats you well, right?"

"Of course, mom. He's the sweetest guy ever," Sarah replied. There was a loud bang from outside and a yell.

"What the hell?" said Kathy. Sarah and Kathy leaped to their feet and hurried outside. Several feet away from the house, Mitch was laying on the ground.

"Daddy?" yelled Sarah. Sarah and Kathy ran over to him. He was unconscious, and bleeding both from the head and from somewhere on his back.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" came Spencer's voice from the house. Sarah glanced behind her to see Spencer descending the porch stairs, a gun in his hand, in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. He hurried over to the group, kneeling down next to Mitch.

"Kathy? Sarah? What's going on?" called a voice from the porch. The others had awoken and were coming outside. Spencer checked Mitch for a pulse.

"He's alive, but unconscious," said Spencer. He stood and pulled out his cell phone, dialing 9-1-1.

"Oh God, Mitch. What happened?" said Kathy quietly. Sarah pulled her mother a few steps away.

"We shouldn't be so close. It could contaminate the scene," said Sarah, her voice shaking.

"Is he going to be okay?" demanded Kathy. Spencer glanced at her.

"I can't say for sure, ma'am."


	5. Chapter 5

Richard sat on a very tattered old couch, sharpening the blade of his knife. He glanced up as Gary entered the room, but said nothing. Gary took a seat in the metal foldout chair across the room from the couch. The room was silent for a couple minutes, the only sound being the scrape of the blade across the sharpening stone.

"Going out?" asked Gary quietly.

"Obviously." Again, there was a long pause of silence.

"Richie, you can't keep doing this." Richard sighed.

"I have to. I have to punish Sarah." Richard examined the blade closely. "Besides, she will be with me soon."

"Damnit, Richie, you're so damn delusional."

"Oh, no, I'm really not. You'll see, Gary," said Richard. There was another long pause.

"Richie, you've gotta stop this. Listen, you know she doesn't love you. Just – just forget about her." Gary hesitated. "I mean, you know, you could just stop this. We could... I don't know, we could move to some place and start a new life in like Florida or something. Someplace nice, you know?" Richard stood and started to walk out of the room as if he hadn't heard Gary. Gary stood as well, grabbing Richard by the sleeve. Richard turned around and glared at him. "Come on, Richard. You know I love you."

"I'm not gay, Gary," Richard said coldly. Gary rolled his eyes.

"Then what was that night when we stayed the night in-" Richard backhanded Gary across the face.

"Don't ever fucking mention that!" Richard yelled. Gary's nose was bleeding ever so slightly. He wiped away the blood and glared at Richard.

"Damnit, Richard, you fucking psycho! You don't fucking love her! You don't do this shit to people you love. You're just crazy, you're -" Richard grabbed Gary by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"Shut the _fuck_ up, Gary! I swear, I will fucking kill you if you say one more word." Richard stared down Gary for several moments, breathing hard. Suddenly, he yelled and punched Gary in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Gary gasped for breath as Richard grabbed his knife and stormed out of the house. He climbed into the truck and flung gravel from under his truck tires as he sped off.

Richard didn't slow until he reached the city limits. The majority of his anger had morphed into anxiety. He pulled over rather suddenly and grabbed the spare change off of his dashboard. He jumped out and rushed over to a phone booth. He inserted the coins quickly and impatiently dialed the number. It rang four times before someone answered.

"Hello?" came a female voice.

"Sarah, it's so great to hear from you again," said Richard, relief watching over him.

"Richard? Is that you?" said the female.

"Of course it is." There was a long pause and a male voice began to speak.

"Richard, this -"

"Who the fuck is this?" demanded Richard, his anger flaring up again.

"This is Spencer Reid. Listen, Richard, I know -"

"Shut the fuck up, Reid. I don't give a damn about what you have to say. But tell that slut that she's going to be killing another bitch tonight." Richard slammed the phone back on the hook and burst out of the booth. Passers-by glance at him in alarm but said nothing. He strode back over to his truck and climbed inside. He opened the glove box and rummaged through it. He pulled out a credit card, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter. He lit up a cigarette and settled into the car, trying to calm down.

It quickly grew dark around him. He had smoked half of the pack before he finally pulled his truck away from the curb. He cruised through the town slowly, until finally deciding on a bar. He hung around in the bar, drinking only soda and surveying the women until he made his selection. Slowly he got the woman drunk, until she agreed to go home with him. She climbed into the truck with him and he drove back to the house.

She stumbled and fell drunkenly on her hands and knees as she got out of the truck. She started laughing and tried to stand back up. Richard got out of the truck and walked around to where the woman was.

"Hey, how about a little help, Mitch?" she asked, her words slurred.

"My name is Richard." He glared down at her, then kicked her in the stomach. She fell over again, rolling onto her side. She coughed and gasped for air. Richard bent down and rolled her onto her back.

"What the hell was that for?" she demanded.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Or, at least, it won't in a second."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. She tried to sit up. Richard dropped to his knees and shoved her back down. "What are you doing?" He straddled her stomach and slid the knife out of his pocket. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Richard yelled. He began violently stabbing her. She tried to fight back, but there was no use – Richard greatly overpowered her. He continued to stab her long after she was dead. By the time his rage had quelled, her face was no longer recognizable. He grabbed her left hand and pulled the ring off of her finger. He stood and gave the body one good kick before heading into the house. "Gary, go fucking take care of the trash!" he yelled before slamming his bedroom door closed behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Reid, I'm starting to think it's not a good idea that you're working the Parish case," said Hotchner.

"What, why?" asked Spencer, looking up from the papers strewn out across the desk.

"Because, Reid, you're becoming too closely involved with ," replied Hotchner.

"I don't see how this has become a problem. I've been seeing her for several weeks now and it hasn't affected my work on this case, nor any others."

"However, you and I both know that Parish is becoming more and more obsessive over . If Parish decides to make a move to get to her before we can catch him, I don't want you to do anything stupid."

"You can't be serious, Hotchner. I've almost figured out where Parish is hiding out. Aside from that, you know that is not the sort of thing that I would do - it's rather out of character for me," said Reid. Hotchner studied him for a long moment.

"All right, you can stay on the case. But don't disappoint me, Reid." Spencer watched him go with a slightly confused look. Spencer sat there for a few seconds, considering what Hotchner had said. Then he began to collect his papers from across his desk. He packed them into his messenger bag and left.

Several minutes later, he pulled his car along the curb of Sarah's cousin's house. Spencer got out of his car and headed toward the house. Halfway there, he paused. He squinted, staring suspiciously at the bushes.

"Spencer! Hey baby!" called Sarah. Spencer looked over at the door. Sarah stood in the doorway. She was rather scantily clad, in nothing but a button-up vest and a pair of tiny bluejean shorts. As he looked, the man in the bushes was able to slip around the side of the house.

"Hang on a moment. I want to inspect your bushes," said Spencer. He strolled over to the bushes, but found nothing. He shrugged, then went over to the front door. Sarah threw her arms around him and kissed him, hard. He pulled away and looked at her, brows furrowed.

"How much alcohol have you consumed tonight?" asked Spencer. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him inside. She closed the door behind him and pushed him into the living room. She walked over to the coffee table and poured a clear liquid into a glass. She thrust the glass into his hands.

"Drink it."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Vodka," Sarah replied, then took a swig from the bottle. Spencer took a sip to humor her, then sat the glass down.

"Sarah, how often do you do this?" asked Spencer. Sarah laughed.

"Yeah, like I'm going to admit I have a drinking problem," said Sarah.

"Sarah, drinking is not going to solve -"

"Babe, I know the spiel. I'm a psychiatrist, remember?" Her eyes started to water. "Spencer, I know it's wrong. But I've got some sick fuck killing innocent women because of me. My dad is paralyzed from the waist down because of me. Something's gotta make me feel numb." She wiped her eyes angrily.

"Sarah, I'm here for you. You're a psychiatrist, remember?" he said pointedly. "You know that you really need to talk about this."

"I know, Spencer... But you have so much on your plate already. You've got so much to worry about, you don't need to worry about me, too."

"Sarah, don't be ridiculous. One of the characteristics of a good relationship is the ability to go to one another and discuss your problems." Sarah met his gaze for a few seconds, then looked away.

"I just don't want to talk about it. But thank you, Spencer," she said quietly.

"Of course." Sarah reached over, grabbed the bottle, and took another drink.

"Come on, Spence. Drink with me – let's have some fun."

"You don't need alcohol to enjoy yourself." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Just cave to the peer pressure already."

"I have to work tomorrow, Sarah." She snorted.

"And you think I don't?"

"I can't drive home while intoxicated," replied Spencer.

"Stay the night here."

"What about Leah?"

"She's staying the night with her boyfriend for a couple of days. So I'm all alone."

"You shouldn't be by yourself," said Spencer.

"Spencer, I'm a grown woman. I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, however, that is not what I meant. With our unsub still out there, you need to be incredibly careful," explained Spencer.

"Then stay here and protect me," said Sarah, giving him an innocent smile. Spencer hesitated.

"I suppose I could do that," he said finally. Sarah leaped up, swaying ever so slightly. She grabbed Spencer by the hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's go get your stuff, then," said Sarah, her voice betraying her excitement.

"Um, would you like to change first?" asked Spencer.

"Why, don't you like it?"

"It's not bad or anything. However, it could be seen as inappropriate."

"Who cares? We're not going on a date or anything – just running over to your house." Spencer shrugged and said no more. They got into Spencer's car and drove away.

A short, plain-looking man emerged from the shadows. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He lit up a cigarette and began to smoke it. His cell phone began to ring and he groaned.

"Hello?"

"Gary, what is going on? What is she doing?" demanded the voice on the phone. Gary sighed.

"That guy that's a cop or whatever came over again. They just left," replied Gary.

"Why the fuck does she hang out with him so much?" wondered Richard, more to himself than to Gary.

"I don't know, maybe because they're _dating_?" said Gary.

"Don't be ridiculous, Gary. She loves me, she wouldn't cheat on me." Gary suppressed a sigh and leaned against the wall of the house. "Why didn't you follow her?"

"Well, Richie, I forgot to activate my rocket shoes so I could keep up with a fucking car."

"Don't get an attitude with me, Gary!" snapped Richard.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Gary.

"Wait for her to come back and see what happens."

"Wait? That could take all damn night!"

"Like I give a fuck."

"What if they're staying the night at his house or something?" demanded Gary.

"Not gonna happen because she wouldn't cheat on me," replied Richard.

"You are so fucking delusional, Richard."

"Shut the fuck up and do what I tell you." Richard hung up. Gary shoved his phone in his pocket and let out a loud groan. He took a long drag of his cigarette, then threw it on the ground and angrily smashed it with the toe of his shoe.

It was fifteen minutes before Sarah and Spencer returned. Gary shrunk down and hid in the bushes quickly, peering through the branches to watch them. Spencer walked behind a giggling Sarah, carrying a duffel bag and looking a little exasperated.

"Upstairs, first door on the left," said Sarah as she opened the door. She went into the living room and began looking through a shelf of DVDs as Spencer went upstairs to put away his things. She picked out a movie and put it in the player, then sat down on the couch. She took another swig of the vodka. Spencer returned and sat beside her. "Now you can drink."

"That wasn't the point of me coming to stay, Sarah."

"Oh what's it matter? You'll sleep it off tonight and you can go to work tomorrow. You don't have to drive home or anything," insisted Sarah. "Come on, watch a movie with me and drink. You'll be fine." Spencer sighed. He took a drink from the glass Sarah had poured him and settled into his seat. Sarah stretched out, laying her head against his chest. He awkwardly slid his arms around her shoulders, and she smiled.

Gary remained outside the window, watching the couple. For an hour, there was nothing for him to really see. Sarah and Spencer remained on the couch and watched the movie. Both continued to drink from the vodka bottle. However, things began to change when Sarah accidentally spilled some vodka on Spencer.

"I'm sorry sweetie!" said Sarah, sitting up quickly.

"No, it's all right. I'll just go change."

"Just take off your shirt. You don't need to wear one," said Sarah.

"I don't know about that..."

"What, are you afraid?" teased Sarah. She poked him in the stomach.

"Don't do that." Sarah grinned and poked him again. "Sarah, come on." She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started yanking it up. "Sarah, you're acting inappropriately."

"What? You have a cute little tummy," teased Sarah. She pulled on his shirt again.

"Fine, fine." He pulled off his shirt, looking uncomfortable. "Are you satisfied now?"

"I don't know about satisfied. But it's a start," said Sarah with a grin. Spencer sighed. Sarah leaned over and kissed him. This time it was different – there was something more behind it. She pulled away and they looked at each other for a minute. Spencer looked rather confused.

Sarah kissed him again, moving closer. As they kissed, she lightly ran her finger tips across his chest, causing an involuntary twitch. He pulled away from her, still looking confused.

"Sarah, I don't think -"

"Really? You _really_ don't think we shouldn't?" She gave an impish smile, then rose to her knees. She moved so that she was now straddling his lap, then kissed him again. "Tell me then. Tell me why we shouldn't." He swallowed, hard.

"This is incredibly unprofessional. You are involved in the case..." He fumbled with his words. She smiled and kissed him again.

"Our entire relationship is unprofessional, if you're going to use that argument." She kissed him several more times, beginning to unbutton her vest as she did so.

"Sarah, I'm don't know if we should be doing this," insisted Spencer. She looked at him, an eyebrow raised. Her vest was now completely unbuttoned and was slightly gapped open, revealing the lacy red bra she was wearing underneath.

"Say it then. Tell me to stop, Spencer. Tell me you don't want this." She looked at him expectantly. After a long pause of silence, he kissed her. Sarah smiled widely. She pulled off the vest and tossed it aside. She pushed him against the back of the couch and started kissing him roughly. After a few minutes of this, her cell phone started to ring. She ignored it, and it stopped for a moment. Then it started to ring again.

"Sarah, your phone is ringing," said Spencer. Sarah sighed. The phone stopped again and she grabbed it. She turned it off and threw it across the room into one of the arm chairs.

"It's not anymore." She looked at him for a moment and smiled again. "We should go upstairs."

"I – um... O-okay?" She stood, laughing.

"You are so awkward. It's so cute." He stood, eyebrows furrowed. She grabbed his hand and lead him out of the room. Outside, Gary shook his head.

"Richie is going to be pissed," he muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

Sarah awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. She groaned and reached over onto the nightstand. She hit the snooze button. She then laid her head back down on the pillow. She slid her arm back over Spencer's chest and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Spencer sat straight up. Sarah's arm was knocked away. She looked at him.

"I... I can't believe I did that," he said weakly. Sarah giggled. He looked at her, them noticed the time on the clock behind her. "Wonderful. I'm going to be late now, on top of that."

"You sound so remorseful," said Sarah, hurt trickling into her voice. Spencer grabbed his bag and sifted through it for clothes.

"Sarah, I don't really feel comfortable discussing this right now," said Spencer. Sarah sat up, clinging to the covers. She watched him go into the bathroom, disappearing for a few minutes, then walk back out. He grabbed his messenger bag, then looked at her awkwardly.

"Are you still gonna stay with me until Leah gets back?" she asked. He hesitated.

"I suppose so. But, you know, I need to leave now." Sarah nodded. "Be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry, Spence. Everything is fine," she replied. He gave a small smile, then left.

Sarah didn't rise until she heard the door slam. She then went over to the dresser and grabbed some clothes. She stepped into the shower, turning on the water. She began to wash her hair, but then paused. She thought she had heard someone speaking, but now there was nothing but the sound of running water.

"Spencer?" she called out tentatively. There was no response. After a few more seconds of silence, she shrugged it off. She finished her shower with no more disturbances. She dressed slowly, then began combing through her hair as she walked into her bedroom.

Suddenly, there was a crash from downstairs. Heart pounding a little, she stepped out into the hallway.

"Spence? Did you forget something?" she called. She was met with silence. Her mouth went dry, and her heart raced. She took a step backward, wishing she hadn't spoken.

She screamed as someone grabbed her from behind. It was Richard Parish. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, picking her up off the ground. She screamed again, trying to kick him.

"Damnit, Gary, get over here!" yelled Richard. Another man climbed the stairs quickly, hands full. He ripped off a piece of duct tape and put it over her mouth. Richard put her back down and maneuvered himself so that he had a tight grip on her arms, pulling them behind her. She twisted and squirmed, but Richard was too strong for her.

Gary slid the duct tape over his hand, leaving it on his wrist as though it was a bracelet. He then moved to Sarah's side, reaching over and tying her wrists and hands together with rope. Finally, he procured a piece of cloth from his pocket, then used it to blindfold her. She screamed again as Richard picked her up, throwing her torso over his shoulder. It was useless; the duct tape was doing an excellent job of muffling her voice.

"Go on ahead of me and make sure everything's good still," said Richard.

Gary hesitated, but a look from Richard sent him scurrying away. Richard followed more slowly, carefully balancing Sarah as he walked down the stairs. She had fallen still. But as Richard stepped off of the last step, she abruptly began to violently struggle. She caught Richard off-guard, causing him to stumble and fall. They both fell to the ground with a loud crash.

"Damnit, you bitch!" growled Richard. Sarah was trying to scramble away, but it wasn't going so well. Richard stood, then walked over to her. He bent over and smacked her across the face. "Cut it out!" She fell still, though continued to tremble from fear.

Again, Richard grabbed her, then picked her back up. She let out a small cry, but quickly fell silent, aside from the sound of her muffled sobs. Richard carried her out into the garage. Gary waited there with the garage door open. A small moving truck was backed up to the entrance.

Gary had lowered the ramp, and Richard now used it to carry Sarah into the back. There was a tattered mattress laying on the floor, which Richard then laid her on. Gary put up the ramp and closed the doors behind them.

Richard sat on the floor next to Sarah. Gary climbed into the cab of the truck and began to drive. It was almost completely black inside the back of the truck. Richard reached out and touched Sarah's face. She recoiled. He slid his hand upward and began to stroke her hair.

Sarah lay on the mattress, still sobbing quietly. She should have listened to Spencer and been more careful. In hindsight, it should have been completely obvious that Richard had been the one making the noises in her house. She should have just called the police instead of investigating it herself. She felt the tiniest twinge of relief as she realized Richard would no longer be killing others to punish her. But this was very little comfort, considering the fact that she was now Richard's captive.

Several minutes later, the truck rolled to a stop. Gary opened the doors to the back. Richard stood and pulled Sarah to her feet. He hooked his arm around hers to both lead and steady her.

"Come on, Sarah. Walk," he commanded. With shaky steps, she followed next to him. He walked her around to the back of the dilapidated house. He brought her to a pair of doors that lead to a storm cellar. "Stay here."

Sarah obeyed, standing still as he opened the doors. After all, what good would it do to run? She was blind, mute, and had no use of her hands. There would be little chance she would get very far.

He grabbed her by the arm again and began to lead her down the stairs. She let out a muffled cry as she started to fall down the stairs. Richard quickly grabbed a better hold of her and steadied her.

"Be careful, Sarah. We're going down stairs." Shakier than ever, she continued down with him.

Richard lead her to the far corner of the room. The room itself was rather dark, lit only by a single bulb in the center of the ceiling. He sat her down on the floor, next to a set of chains. He took one of the chains and put a cuff around her ankle. One end of the chain was attached to the cuff, while the other end was firmly anchored to the ground.

He then reached out and untied the blindfold. Sarah blinked, looking at him in confusion.

"This might hurt a little. Sorry, babe," said Ricahrd. He pulled the duct tape off of her mouth.

"Please, let me go, Richard," she said immediately.

"Lean forward," he said, as though he hand't heard her.

"Richard -"

"Lean forward!" She flinched and then did as she was told. He fumbled slightly with the rope, but managed to untie it.

"I don't understand," she said quietly, rubbing her wrists. She looked up as Gary entered, but Richard paid him no attention.

"I love you, Sarah. I want you to be here with me. And, in time, I believe you'll fall in love with me, too." He then stood up straight. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to leave."

"Richard, wait! Please don't do this! You can't keep me here!" yelled Sarah. Richard ignored her, pushing past Gary. "You! Your name's Gary, right?" Gary turned to look at Sarah with surprise. "Please, you've got to help me."

"I'm sorry, Sarah. But I can't." With that, he turned to leave.

"i_No!/i"_ yelled Sarah. "i_You can't!/i _He'll kill me – I know he will! i_Please!/i_" Gary winced and hurried up the stairs. He quickly closed the door on her screams, giving a shaky sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

It was late before Spencer left work. The sun was setting as he pulled up to the curb of Sarah's cousin's house. Sarah preferred to park along the curb; in fact, he had parked his own car behind hers. He frowned as he noticed the open garage door that exposed the empty garage.

He climbed out of his car quietly as he could. He grabbed the pistol from the discarded holster in the passenger seat and slowly approached the house. He knew that he should seek some sort of back-up, but if Sarah was in trouble, time was everything.

He entered through the garage and the unlocked back door. The only signs of a struggle was a shattered vase that Sarah had knocked over, its pieces strewn about near the stairs. He checked all of the rooms and found nothing. His heart sank.

Suddenly, his cell phone began to ring. It was a number he didn't recognize, and he considered ignoring it. But, finally, he answered the phone.

"Hello, Agent Reid," came the voice from the other end of the phone. Spencer immediately recognized the voice.

"Richard Parish?" he said.

"Names are not important, Agent Reid," replied the voice. "I have called to inform you that you no longer need to search for me. I have what I want, now."

"Richard, do you have Sarah there with you?" asked Spencer.

"Would you like to speak with her?"

In the storm cellar, Richard handed the disposable cell phone to Sarah. Gary stood silently near the stairs, watching. The reception wasn't great, but the two could still manage to hear each other.

"Spencer?" said Sarah tentatively.

"Sarah, are you all right?" Sarah began to cry, happy to hear his voice, but terrified he wouldn't be able to help.

"Yeah. Spencer please, you've got to help me. I'm scared and I don't -"

"Sarah, please, calm down. Listen, do you have any idea as to where you are?" asked Spencer urgently.

"No. No I don't. I'm just in a basement or something. He's got me chained to the ground." Sarah glanced up at Richard, who seemed to be amused by all of this.

"That's all right, Sarah. Listen, I need you to stay on the phone with me as long as possible." Spencer began to search for a house phone. If he could contact Garcia, there might be a way she could trace the call.

"Okay." There was a pause. "Spencer. I just – I want you to know, in case something happens; I love you."

Richard abruptly ripped the phone form Sarah's hand. He threw it against the wall, causing the battery to pop out. He then backhanded Sarah across the face, hard. Little spots exploded in front of her eyes.

"You bitch! Don't you ever fucking say that to another man!" roared Richard. Sarah clenched her teeth, knowing what she had to say would only cause more problems. He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "Say it. Say that you love me and not that bastard." Sarah remained quite. "_Say it!"_

"No, Richard. It's time for you to stop living in your little fantasy world," she spat. He glared at her for a long moment.

"I'll take care of that fucker." Sarah's eyes widened in horror. He shoved her away and began to walk off. Sarah scrambled to her feet and moved toward him. In a split-second decision, she kicked out, her foot managing to connect with his crotch.

Richard yelled in shock and pain, then fell to his knees. He grit his teeth, his hands going between his legs. Gary rushed to Richard's side, while Sarah backed away. After a minute, Gary helped Richard to his feet. Richard turned to face Sarah, looking at her with pure rage.

"You're going to regret that, you cunt," snarled Richard. He turned away from her and stormed out of the cellar. Gary looked at her and shook his head.

"Don't you fucking look at me like that!" snapped Sarah.

"You should've known better than that," said Gary simply.

"It wasn't thinking about that. I was just freaking out – I don't want him to hurt Spencer. You've loved someone before, right? You know it makes you do stupid stuff."

Gary gave a small, harsh laugh. "Why the hell do you think I'm here?"

Sarah stared at him for a long minute. "Wait, are you saying you're in love with Richard?"

"Look, I don't want to discuss it." With that, Gary left as well.

Meanwhile, Spencer looked at his phone to see that the call had ended. His heart sunk even lower. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. It would do no good to allow emotions to cloud his thoughts.

Finally, he contacted Hotchner and relayed Sarah's kidnapping. The police arrived first, closely followed by the BAU team. Hotchner walked directly over to Spencer, who sat quietly on the front porch swing. Hotchner put his hands in his pockets, looking down at Spencer as stoically as usual.

"I'm afraid I'll have to remove you from the case now, Reid," said Hotchner. Spencer nodded. He glanced up at Hotchner, frowning slightly.

"I expected as much," he said.

"Now, I need for you to tell me exactly what happened."


	9. Chapter 9

It was dark, and he was tired. So tired. He should have known better. He should have noticed that something was off. But exhaustion can get the best of anyone.

He carried his messenger bag into the house, dropping it onto the couch. He pulled off the belt to which the gun holster was attached. He pulled out the gun, putting it in the drawer of a stand. He laid the belt on top of the stand and returned to the couch.

He opened his messenger bag, pulling out papers. He spread them across the table, putting his head in his hands as he began to pour over them again. The abductions were random. The body dumps were random. None of it made any sense – the only thing they'd been able to glean so far was that the killings were located to one county. Somehow, Richard Parish had managed to slip through the cracks. _What _were they missing?

Of course, in all technicalities, he wasn't suppose to be working on this. He had been removed from the case. Things were far too personal between he and Sarah to allow him to continue working on it, especially now that she had been abducted. But he had made his own copies of the papers he needed and had continued it in secrecy.

Spencer yawned, bringing his hands up to his face to rub his eyes. And that's when Richard Parish took his chance.

He popped up from behind the couch, delivering a blow to the back of Spencer's head with a tire iron. It was enough to knock him out, but not enough to kill him. Spencer's body fell slack, slumping to one side across the couch.

"Grab those papers," said Richard. "I want you to get rid of them."

Gary emerged from the hallway. He waited for Richard to grab Spencer under the arms and drag him away from the couch. He then collected the papers, stuffing them into the messenger bag and hoisting that onto his shoulders.

"Well, get the van! What are you waiting for?" demanded Richard. Gary glanced between the unconscious Spencer and Richard before scurrying out of the house.

There was a slamming of a car door and Gary returned, holding something in his hands. It turned out to be duct tape, which he then used to constrain Spencer's arms behind his back. He stuck a piece over his mouth, then shoved the tape in his pocket.

Richard grabbed Spencer under the arms once more, Gary taking his feet. They carried him out of the house, to the moving van that sat in the driveway. It was the same one they had used to transport Sarah.

Spencer did not wake up for the duration of the ride. However, he gave a quiet groan as they hoisted him out of van. His eyelids twitched, but did not open.

Sarah let out a small scream as they brought Spencer to the cellar. She climbed to her feet, but Richard shoved her aside as she approached them. She waited, hands shaking slightly, as they chained him as well. He was offered far less liberty than she was. The chains were shorter and both his ankle and wrists were each attached to a cuff.

"What did you do to him?" demanded Sarah.

"He's not dead," said Richard rather nastily. "Not yet. No, there are things to do before that happens."

"You leave him alone!" she yelled. Richard looked surprised, if only for a moment. "This has _nothing _to do with him!"

"You did this to him, Sarah. Just like you killed all of those girls. Maybe now you'll learn to listen to me."

Sarah began to cry in frustration. She moved over to Spencer, sitting down next to him. She reached out a hand, hesitated, then softly placed it against his cheek. His eyelids twitched again. She pulled him by the arms, moving him so that his head was in her lap. She began brushing her fingers through his hair, still silently crying.

Richard watched this, his hands clenching into fists. His knuckles turned bone white and his nails dug into his skin.

"You'll regret this, I'll make sure of it," said Richard, his voice wavering with its hatred. "Even if I have to tear him apart in front of you. I will do it."

He turned away from her and walked toward the stairs.

"I won't let you! You'll have to kill me first before you kill him!" Richard faltered only for a moment, then stomped up the stairs. Gary followed behind him and the cellar doors slammed shut. Outside, she could hear the two start to argue. It quickly escalated into shouting, and ended with cries of pain from Gary. And then it was quiet for a moment.

"Sarah?"

"Spencer!" said Sarah with a gasp. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Oh my god, I'm so happy you're okay!"

He sat up slowly with a groan. He started to raise his hand, then noticed the cuff around his wrist. He followed the chain to its end, which was attached to the floor.

"Where are we?" he said.

"I – I don't know," she said. His hand went to the back of his head, gingerly touching it. What little blood there had been was in the process of drying now. "Richard brought me here with a blindfold."

"That's right," said Spencer, wincing slightly as he turned his head to look around. "I remember being at my house... In the living room... I was looking over some papers... But then that's it."

"He must have been in the house before you got there. I'm so sorry, Spencer!" she said, suddenly hugging him. She started to cry again. "This is my fault. I'm the reason you're here. Your life's in danger and it's all because of me." He put his arms around her in a comforting gesture.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sarah. You can't blame yourself. You weren't the one who knocked me out and brought me down here. And you're not the one threatening to kill me."

"I'm so, so sorry, Spencer," said Sarah, as though she hadn't heard him.

"Don't be. We'll get out of this."

"How?" Spencer hesitated.

"I don't know..."


End file.
